User blog:CEDJunior/Layla Khudari (Lethal Weapon)
Layla Khudari, aka Lena Bachara (Annet Mahendru), is the tragic (and redeemed) main villainess from "Get the Picture," episode 3.05 of Lethal Weapon (airdate October 30, 2018). Layla's backstory revealed that she is the daughter of Lebanese artist Aleah Khudari, who was killed by a rebel attack in Tripoli in 2000--when Layla was only 10. The rebels who committed the attack were sponsored by art gallery owner Victor Halderman, who ended up taking (among other portraits) a painting called Shati Bahr, which Aleah completed years ago. In the 18 years that passed, Layla learned about Halderman's connection to her mother's death, as well as him possessing the painting, and planned to steal it. Her plan involved changing her name to Lena Bachara, taking the name of a woman who passed at the age of 80, and becoming Halderman's assistant. She later masterminded a robbery of one of the trucks carrying the paintings, and during the case, Lena caught the eye of Wesley Cole (Roger Murtaugh's new partner), who correctly guessed Lena/Layla's Lebanese background. Layla informed Cole that he was wrong about her background, only to admit that she lied during the episode's progression, which had the pair inside one of the trucks after a bunch of stolen paintings ended up destroyed during Murtaugh and Cole's attempt to catch the robbers. It was there that Layla took out her mother's painting and gushed over it with Cole; meanwhile, Murtaugh and Sonya Bailey's confrontation with Halderman ended with the former phoning Cole and revealing that Lena/Layla was behind the robbery. Layla turned heel shortly afterwards by locking Cole inside the truck, as she heard the conversation and figured that Cole had learned about her villainous actions. The villainess took the painting and escaped on a motorcycle, even after she was wounded when she crashed following her confrontation with Murtaugh. Layla's heel turn officially revealed her as the villainous mastermind of the robbery, and it was Bailey who revealed that the Lena Bachara name was fake. Bailey and Cole's investigation into Lena's true identity revealed her as Layla Khudari, the daughter of the painting's artist, and later that night, Cole managed to successfully track Layla, who pointed a gun at her. Layla stated that all she wanted was her mother's painting and that no one was supposed to be harmed in the robbery, and afterwards, Cole took Layla to his apartment, where his ex-wife, Natalie Flynn, tended to her. On the following day, Layla revealed the truth about Halderman and his connection to her mother's death, serving as a motive for her actions. She later helped the group take down Halderman's henchman, as it was revealed that Halderman was using the paintings to sell weapons to military groups. Layla was later arrested for her role in the robberies, as she was shown writing a confession. Cole stated that she would most likely not get much time due to her cooperation, after which Layla kissed Cole before being officially taken into custody. Category:Blog posts Category:2010s Category:Alias Category:Brunette Category:Freudian Excuse Category:Live Action Villainess Category:Not So Bad After All Category:Pistol Category:Redeemed Category:Robber Category:Villainous Reveal Category:Fate: Arrested